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J. J. MILLER Feb. 18, 1941.

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Filed Sept; 27, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. J. MILLER Feb. 18; 1941.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 27, 193B INVENTOR. @(L'us J 17761661": BY W 1 IIIIIIIIIIIIIII M a VII 8 ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES BOX Julius J. Miller,

St. Joseph, lilich.

Application September 27,1938, Serial No. 231,941

8 Claims.

detachably fastened to the cleats of the blank from which the box is made, preferably by wire loops inserted through slots cut longitudinally in the ends of two or more of the cleats, so that said loops can be bent into a retaining 15 position externally of the box, and may be bent into engagement with the binding wires, if de-'*.

sired, thus firmly anchoring the loops to the said cleats, but in such amanner that they can be bent back again when it is desired to remove O the end walls from the box, after the latter has been opened and relieved of its contents, thus providing a knock-down box unit which can be shipped flat.

It is also an object to provide certain details and novel features of construction tending to increase the general efiiciency and desirability of 'a wirebound box of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective of a wirebound box embodying the principles of the invention, showing the same in closed condition. v I

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionof said box on line 2-2 in Fig. 1, showing the cover or lid of the box partially open.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail section, on a larger scale, on line 3-3 in Fig.1 of the draw- 40 ings.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, with one end of the box shown broken away for convenience of illustration, and with the other end showing a diiferent form of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section online 5-4 in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of one corner of the box, showing a different form of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on linel-1 in Fig. 6 of the drawings, on a larger scale.

As thus illustrated, and referring to Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the invention comprises a box having top and bottom walls I and 2, .front and 55 rear side walls 3 and 4, and end walls 5, together and arrangement whereby the said end walls are with cleats 6 that are stapled to the said top and bottom and side walls by the staples F that hold the bindingwires 8. in place on the box. The middle binding wire 9 is preferably provided, if the box is of substantial length, to increase the strength thereof. I

As shown in said Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that the vertical cleats 6', that are fastened to the front and rearside walls sand 4, have their upper and lower ends formed with longitudinal cuts Ill, and that the said end walls 5 have wire loops II that, extend through these cuts or slots, and are then bent around and upon the front and rear sides of the box, so that they engage the binding Wires 8 previously mentioned. In this way, these wire loops ll not only removably hold the end walls in position, so that they can be removed-When the box is opened and relieved of its contents, but also serve to hold the binding wires in place adjacent the corners of the box, thus preventing said wires from slipping off of the corners. Each .end wall is preferably provided with a pair of inside flat battens I2 arranged crosswise of the grain of said end walls, and secured to the latter by staples I3, or other suitablemeans. The loops H are inserted inwardly through the end walls and through their battens l2 and preferably clinched in the battens, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Preferably, in this type of box, the binding wires are formed at oneend with tongues 14, and at the other end with loops iii, the tongues being adapted to be inserted through the loops and then bent'intoposition to form hooks, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, thereby to hold the cover I in closed position, but in such a manner that, by bending said tongues I l 4 upwardly again, the cover can easily' be opened. In the manufacture of box blanks of this kind, comprising" sheets of veneer stapled to Wood cleats, it is obvious that the staples cannot be allowed to come too close to the corners of the box, and hence when the tongues vI'I are'bent outwardly and upon the binding'wires, the latter are thereby additionally held in place adjacent said corners. I

Obviously, the cuts or slo-ts Hi can be inexpensive'ly' formed by a saw'cut in the ends of the cleats. i Y

In Figs. 4 and 5 the construction is similar to that previously described; but in this case the loops IS for the end 'walls 'are not bent outwardly upon the outer surface of the box, but are bent around to engage the inside or bottom edges of the cleats 6, as shown, it being observed that by forming the cuts or slots Ill substantially midway between the top and bottom edges of the cleats, the said. loops can be bent in either manner, either outwardly upon the outer surface of the box, or inwardly upon the inside or bottom edges of the cleats, the sheets of veneer, forming the top and bottom and side walls of the box, being secured to the outer or top edges of the cleats.

As shown in Figs. 6 and '7 of the drawings, the construction is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, but in this case the said saw cuts or slots ID are formed in the top and bottom cleats 6 of the box, so that the loops I! of the end walls are bent outwardly and around and upon the top or cover of the box, and downwardly and around and upon the bottom of the box. Thus, it is apparent that the cover may have loops for insertion through slots in the front and rear vertical cleats of the box, or through slots in the top and bottom cleats of the box, or through slots in all of the cleats, if so desired. In addition, it is obvious that the loops or tongues thus formed on the end walls can be bent outwardly upon the outer surface of the box to engage the binding wires and hold the latter against slipping off the corners of the box, or that these tongues may be bent inwardly and against the bottom edges of the cleats, for regardless of which way these tongues and loops on the end walls are bent, they serve effectively to anchor the end walls directly to the cleats, and as the latter are stapled to the sheets forming the top and bottom and side walls of the box, it follows that a very strong and simple head or end wall construction is provided. This permits of quick assembly of the box parts when shipped flat, and also permits of quick and easy dismantling of the box after it is opened and relieved of its contents, when it is desired to use the box several times.

Obviously, identically the same end walls can be used in either Fig. 1 or Fig. 4 of the drawings for Fig. 6 of the drawings, as in the latter it is only necessary to turn the end wall around onequarter, so that the loops thereon will extend through the top and bottom cleats, instead of through the vertical cleats of the head or end wall construction of the box.

Again, it will be noticed that in each form of the invention, the loops, constituting the end wall fasteners, are located close to and practically at the joints between the cleats at the corners of the box, where the greatest strain occurs, and hence these end wall loops or fasteners are especially effective in contributing strength to the structure of the box.

Thus each slot It] has parallel edges extending longitudinally of the cleat, and each slot has one open end and one closed end, the said openend being at the end of the cleat. In this way, and regardless of which way the flexible fasteners I I are bent, each fastener will always be bent over one parallel edge of a slot. In this way, there is no mutilation of the inner and outer edges of the cleats, as the slots can be made by cutting longitudinally a distance in the end of the cleat, leaving the longitudinal edges of the cleats unbroken and unmutilated in any way whatever. Thus the outer edge of each cleat presents a smooth and continuous support for one of the sheets of veneer forming the walls of the box.

It is comparatively easy to assemble the box, and the latter is easily taken apart or knocked down for storage or shipment.

Furthermore, it will be seen that each slot ID has one end thereof open on the end face of its cleat, so that the open end of each slot is closed by the end face of another cleat. In other words,

the said slots are not formed in the edges of the cleats, in either the outer or the inner edges thereof, but to the contrary are formed in the ends of the cleats and are thus spaced about midway between said inner and outer cleat edges.

It is important to observe, therefore, that the wire tongues ll pass through the end walls 5 a goodly distance from the edges of the latter and that nowhere do these tongues extend between the top or outer sides of the cleats and the inner surface of the longitudinal walls of the box, while at the same time it is true that each tongue extends through a slot of a cleat.

What I claim as my invention is: 1. A wirebound box comprising sheets forming top and bottom and side walls, cleats and binding wires secured thereto, by staples inserted through the sheets and into the outside edges of the cleats, 1

edges in the formation of the slots, the sheets being secured to said outer edges, and end walls provided with flexible metal fasteners for insertion outwardly through said slots, adapted to be bent in position to removably secure the end walls in position within the box, against the inner sides of said cleats, each slot being open at one end thereof on the end face of its cleat, with the open end of each slot closed by the end face of another cleat, when the box is in closed condition.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, said flexible fasteners being bent outwardly and around and upon the outer surface of the box, to engage the binding wires adjacent the corners of the box, thereby serving to assist in holding said bin-ding wires against slipping off at said corners.

3. A structure as specified in claim .1, said flexible fasteners being bent around and against the said bottom edges of the cleats, adjacent the exposed outer surface of said end walls.

4. A structure as specified in claim -1, said slots being formed in the vertical cleats of the front and rear walls of the box. H

5. A structure as specified in claim 1, said slots being formed in the horizontal cleats of the top and bottom walls of the box.

6. A structure as specified in claim 1, each slot being open at its outer end at the beveled end of the cleat.

'7. A structure as specified in claim 1, each slot being a straight longitudinal cut closed at one end and open at the other.

8. A box head construction comprising external cleats therefor, with longitudinal slots in the ends of said cleats, parallel with and between the inner and outer edges thereof, one end of each slot being open on the end of its cleat, so that the open end of each slot is closed by the end face of another cleat, and a wall having flexible fasteners extending outwardly through said slots and bent tightly over one parallel edge of the slot to hold said wall in position.

' JULIUS J. MILLER. 

